LITTLE   NOVELS    ET 

FA70URITE   AUTHORS 

jl       jt       Jl 


Mrs.  Pendleton's 

Four-in-hand 
<* 

GERTRUDE  ATHERTON 


Mrs.   Pendleton's 

Four-in-hand 


BY 


GERTRUDE  ATHERTON 

AUTHOR    OF    "THE    CONQUEROR,"     ETC. 


THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  Co.,  LTD. 
1903 


All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1902, 
BY  MRS.  GERTRUDE  ATHERTON. 

COPYRIGHT,  1903, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 

Set  up,  electrotyped,  and  published  June,  1903. 


J.  S.  Gushing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Portrait  of  Gertrude  Atherton    .       Frontispiece 


"  <  I  have  been  insulted  '  " 
"  <  Well,  why  don't  you  go?  ' " 


FACING  PAGE 
II 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S 
FOUR-IN-HAND 


ESSICA,   her   hands   clenched 
and   teeth   set,    stood   looking 
with  hard  eyes  at  a  small  heap 
of  letters    lying   on   the  floor. 
The  sun,  blazing  through  the  open  win 
dow,  made  her  blink  unconsciously,  and 
the  ocean's  deep  voice  rising  to  the  New 
port  sands  seemed  to  reiterate  :  — 
"  Contempt !    Contempt ! " 
Tall,  finely  pointed  with  the  indescrib 
able  air  and  style   of    the    New  York 
woman,  she  did    not   suggest  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  word  the  ocean  hurled 
to  her.     In  that  moss-green  room,  with 
her  haughty  face  and   clean  skin,  her 

9 


;  :MKS.  FENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

C  «-      t       c          C      c        C        '"«.'•  *       I     *,»*«*"  *'*•*•«' 

severe  faultless  gown,  she  rather  sug 
gested  the  type  to  whom  poets  a  century 
hence  would  indite  their  sonnets — when 
she  and  her  kind  had  been  set  in  the 
frame  of  the  past.  And  if  her  dress  was 
conventional,  she  had  let  imagination 
play  with  her  hair.  The  clear  evasive 
colour  of  flame,  it  was  brushed  down  to 
her  neck,  parted,  crossed,  and  brought 
tightly  up  each  side  of  her  head  just 
behind  her  ears.  Meeting  above  her 
bang,  the  curling  ends  allowed  to  fly 
loose,  it  vaguely  resembled  Medusa's 
wreath.  Her  eyes  were  grey,  the  colour 
of  mid-ocean,  calm,  beneath  a  grey  sky. 
Not  twenty-four,  she  had  the  repose  and 
"  air "  of  one  whose  cradle  had  been 
rocked  by  Society's  foot ;  and  although 
at  this  moment  her  pride  was  in  the 
dust,  there  was  more  anger  than  shame 
in  her  face. 

The  door  opened  and  her  hostess  en 
tered.  As  Mrs.  Pendleton  turned  slowly 
and  looked  at  her,  Miss  Decker  gave  a 
little  cry. 

10 


I    HAVE  UEEN   INSULTED. 


MRS.  PENDLETON1  S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"Jessica!"  she  said,  "what  is  the 
matter  ? " 

"  I  have  been  insulted/'  said  Mrs.  Pen- 
dleton,  deliberately.  She  felt  a  savage 
pleasure  in  further  humiliating  herself. 

"Insulted!  You!"  Miss  Decker's 
correct  voice  and  calm  brown  eyes  could 
not  have  expressed  more  surprise  and 
horror  if  a  foreign  diplomatist  had 
snapped  his  fingers  in  the  face  of  the 
President's  wife.  Even  her  sleek  brown 
hair  almost  quivered. 

"Yes,"  Mrs.  Pendleton  went  on  in  the 
same  measured  tones ;  "  four  men  have 
told  me  how  much  they  despise  me." 
She  walked  slowly  up  and  down  the 
room.  Miss  Decker  sank  upon  the  divan, 
incredulity,  curiosity,  expectation,  femi 
nine  satisfaction  marching  across  her 
face  in  rapid  procession. 

"  I  have  always  maintained  that 
a  married  woman  has  a  perfect  right 
to  flirt,"  continued  Mrs.  Pendleton. 
"The  more  if  she  has  married  an 
old  man  and  life  is  somewhat  of  a  bore. 
ii 


MRS.  PENDLETON' S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

'  Why  do  you  marry  an  old  man  ? ' 
snaps  the  virtuous  world.  'What  a 
contemptible  creature  you  are  to  marry 
for  anything  but  love ! '  it  cries,  as  it 
eats  the  dust  at  Mammon's  feet.  I 
married  an  old  man  because  with  the 
wisdom  of  twenty,  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  could  never  love  and 
that  position  and  wealth  alone  made  up 
the  sum  of  existence.  I  had  more  ex 
cuse  than  a  girl  who  has  been  always 
poor,  for  I  had  never  known  the  arith 
metic  of  money  until  my  father  failed, 
the  year  before  I  married.  People  who 
have  never  known  wealth  do  not  realise 
the  purely  physical  suffering  of  those 
inured  to  luxury  and  suddenly  bereft 
of  it :  it  makes  no  difference  what  one's 
will  or  strength  of  character  is.  So 
—  I  married  Mr.  Pendleton.  So  —  I 
amused  myself  with  other  men.  Mr. 
Pendleton  gave  me  my  head,  because  I 
kept  clear  of  scandal:  he  knew  my  pride. 
Now,  if  I  had  spent  my  life  demoralis 
ing  myself  and  the  society  that  received 
12 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

me,  I  could  not  be  more  bitterly  pun 
ished.  I  suppose  I  deserve  it.  I  sup 
pose  that  the  married  flirt  is  just  as 
poor  and  paltry  and  contemptible  a 
creature  as  the  moralist  and  the  minis 
ter  depict  her.  We  measure  morals 
by  results.  Therefore  I  hold  to-day 
that  it  is  the  business  of  a  lifetime  to 
throw  stones  at  the  married  flirt." 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,"  cried  Miss 
Decker,  in  a  tone  of  exasperation,  "  stop 
moralising  and  tell  me  what  has  hap 
pened  ! " 

"  Do  you  remember  Clarence  Trent, 
Edward  Dedham,  John  Severance,  Nor 
ton  Boswell?" 

"Do  I?     Poor  moths!" 

"  They  were  apparently  devoted  to 
me." 

Dryly:  "Apparently." 

"  How  long  is  it  since  Mr.  Pendleton's 
death?" 

"About  —  he  died  on  the  sixteenth  — 
why,  yes,  it  was  six  months  yesterday 
since  he  died." 

13 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  Exactly.  You  see  these  four  notes 
on  the  floor  ?  They  are  four  propo 
sals  —  four  proposals  "  —  and  she  gave 
a  short  hard  laugh  through  lips  whose 
red  had  suddenly  faded  —  "from  the 
four  men  I  have  just  mentioned." 

Miss  Decker  gasped.  "  Four  pro 
posals  !  Then  what  on  earth  are  you 
angry  about  ? " 

Mrs.  Pendleton's  lip  curled  scornfully. 
She  did  not  condescend  to  answer  at 
once.  "You  are  clever  enough  at 
times/'  she  said  coldly,  after  a  moment. 
"  It  is  odd  you  cannot  grasp  the  very 
palpable  fact  that  four  proposals  re 
ceived  on  the  same  day,  by  the  same 
mail,  from  four  men  who  are  each 
other's  most  intimate  friends,  can  mean 
but  one  thing  —  a  practical  joke.  Oh  !  " 
she  cried,  the  jealously  mastered  passion 
springing  into  her  voice,  "  that  is  what 
infuriates  me  —  more  even  than  the 
insult  —  that  they  should  think  me 
such  a  fool  as  to  be  so  easily  deceived ! 
O— h— h  !  " 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  If  I  remember  aright,"  ventured 
Miss  Decker,  feebly,  "  the  intimacy  to 
which  you  allude  was  a  thing  of  the 
past  some  time  before  you  disappeared 
from  the  world.  In  fact,  they  were  not 
on  speaking  terms." 

"  Oh,  they  have  made  it  up  long  ago ! 
Don't  make  any  weak  explanations,  but 
tell  me  how  to  turn  the  tables  on  them. 
I  would  give  my  hair  and  wear  a  grey 
wig  —  my  complexion  and  paint  —  to 
get  even  with  them.  And  I  will.  But 
how  ?  How  ? " 

She  paced  up  and  down  the  room  with 
nervous  steps,  glancing  for  inspiration 
from  the  delicate  etchings  on  the  walls  to 
the  divan  that  was  like  a  moss  bank,  to 
the  carpet  that  might  have  been  a  patch 
of  forest  green,  and  thence  to  the  spar 
kling  ocean.  Miss  Decker  offered  no 
suggestions.  She  had  perfect  faith  in 
the  genius  of  her  friend. 

Suddenly  Mrs.  Pendleton  paused  and 
turned  to  her  hostess.  The  red  had 
come  back  to  her  curled  mouth.  Her 

'5 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

eyes  were  luminous,  as  when  the  sun 
breaks  through  the  grey  sky  and  falls, 
dazzling,  on  the  waters. 

"  I  have  it !  "  she  said.  "  And  a  week 
from  to-day  —  I  will  keep  them  in  sus 
pense  that  long  —  New  York  will  have 
no  corner  small  enough  to  hold  them." 


16 


II 


II 


IHE  hot  September  day  was 
ten  hours  old.  The  office  of 
the  St.  Christopher  Club  was 
still  deserted  but  for  a  clerk 
who  looked  warm  and  sleepy.  The  post 
man  had  just  left  a  heap  of  letters  on  his 
desk,  and  he  was  sorting  them  for  their 
various  pigeonholes.  A  young  man  en 
tered,  and  the  clerk  began  to  turn  over 
the  letters  more  rapidly.  The  new 
comer,  tall,  thin,  with  sharp  features 
and  shrewd  American  face,  had  an 
extremely  nervous  manner.  As  he 
passed  through  the  vestibule  a  clerk  at 
a  table  put  a  mark  opposite  the  name 
"  Mr.  Clarence  Trent,"  to  indicate  that 
he  was  in  the  Club. 

"Any  letters?"  he  demanded  of  the 
office  clerk. 

19 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

The  man  handed  him  two,  and  he 
darted  into  the  morning-room  and  tore 
one  open,  letting  the  other  fall  to  the 
floor.  He  read  as  follows :  — 

"  Mon  ami !  —  I  have  but  this  mo 
ment  received  your  letter,  which  seems 
to  have  been  delayed.  ["  Of  course ! 
Why  did  I  not  think  of  that?"]  I  say 
nothing  here  of  the  happiness  which 
its  contents  have  given  me.  Come  at 

once. 

"  Jessica  Pendleton. 

"  Our  engagement  must  be  a  pro 
found  secret  until  the  year  of  my 
mourning  is  over." 

Trent's  drab  and  scanty  whiskers 
seemed  to  curl  into  hard  knots  over 
the  nervous  facial  contortion  in  which 
he  indulged.  Nature  being  out  of 
material  when  at  work  upon  him  had 
seemingly  constructed  his  muscles  from 
stout  twine.  An  inch  of  it  joining  his 
nose  to  the  upper  lip,  the  former's 

20 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

pointed  tip  was  wont  to  punctuate  his 
conversation  and  emotions  with  the  di 
rect  downward  movement  of  a  machine 
needle  puncturing  cloth.  He  crumpled 
the  letter  in  his  bony  nervous  fingers, 
and  his  pale  sharp  grey  eyes  opened  and 
shut  with  sudden  rapidity. 

"  I  knew  I  could  not  be  mistaken," 
he  thought  triumphantly.  "She  is 
mine ! " 

In  the  vestibule  another  name  was 
checked  off, — "Mr.  Norton  Boswell," 
—  and  its  owner  made  eagerly  for 
the  desk.  His  dark  intellectual  face 
was  flushed,  and  his  sensitive  mouth 
twitched  suddenly  as  the  clerk  handed 
him  a  roll  of  Mss. 

"  Never  mind  that,"  he  said  hastily. 
"  Give  me  my  letters." 

The  clerk  handed  him  several,  and, 
whisking  them  from  left  to  right  through 
his  impatient  hands,  he  thrust  all  but  one 
into  his  pocket  and  walked  rapidly  to 
the  morning-room.  Seating  himself 
before  a  table,  he  looked  at  the  enve- 

21 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

lope  as  if  not  daring  to  solve  its  mystery, 
then  hastily  tore  it  apart. 

"  Mon  ami !  [Boswell,  despite  his  ar 
dour,  threw  a  glance  down  a  certain  cor 
ridor  in  his  memory  and  thought  with 
kindling  eyes  :  "  Oh !  with  what  divine 
sweetness  did  she  use  to  utter  those 
two  little  words!'*  Then  he  fixed  his 
eyes  greedily  on  the  page  once  more.] 
I  have  but  this  moment  received  your 
letter,  which  seems  to  have  been  de 
layed."  ["Ah!"  rapturously,  the  paper 
dancing  before  his  eyes,  "  that  accounts 
for  it.  I  knew  she  was  the  most  tender 
hearted  creature  on  earth."]  "  I  say 
nothing  here  of  the  happiness  which  its 
contents  have  given  me.  Come  at  once. 
"  Jessica  Pendleton. 

"  Our  engagement  must  be  a  profound 
secret  until  the  year  of  my  mourning  is 


over." 


Boswell,    with      quivering      nostrils, 
plunged  a  pen  into  the  ink-well,  and  in 

22 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

that  quiet  room  two  hearts  thumped  so 
loudly  that  only  passion  and  scratching 
pens  averted  mutual  and  withering 
contempt. 

As  Boswell  left  the  office  a  very 
young  man  entered  it.  He  possessed 
that  nondescript  blond  complexion 
which  seems  to  be  the  uniform  of  the 
New  York  youth  of  fashion.  The 
ciphers  of  the  Four  Hundred  have 
achieved  the  well-scrubbed  appearance 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  more  successfully 
than  his  accent.  Mr.  Dedham  might 
have  been  put  through  a  clothes-wringer. 
Even  his  minute  and  recent  moustache 
looked  as  if  each  hair  had  its  particular 
nurse,  and  his  pink  and  chubby  face 
defied  conscientious  dissipation.  He 
sauntered  up  to  the  clerk's  desk  with  an 
elaborate  affectation  of  indifference,  and 
drawled  a  demand  for  his  mail. 

The  clerk  handed  him  a  dainty  note 
sealed  with  a  crest.  He  accepted  it 
with  an  absent  air,  although  a  look  of 
genuine  boyish  delight  thrust  its  way 

23 


MRS.    PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

through  the  fishy  inertness  of  his  aver 
age  expression. 

It  took  him  a  minute  and  a  half 
to  get  into  the  morning-room  and  read 
these  fateful  lines :  — 

"  Mon  ami,  —  ["  Enchanting  phrase  ! 
I  can  hear  her  say  it"]  I  have 
but  this  moment  received  your  letter, 
which  seems  to  have  been  delayed. 
["Ah!  this  perfume!  this  perfume!"] 
I  say  nothing  here  of  the  happi 
ness  which  its  contents  have  given 
me.  Come  at  once. 

"Jessica  Pendleton. 

"  Our  engagement  must  be  a  profound 
secret  until  the  year  of  my  mourning  is 


over." 


A  rosy  tide  wandered  to  the  roots  of 
Mr.  Dedham's  ashen  locks,  and  he  made 
a  wild  uncertain  dab  at  his  upper  lip. 
Again  there  was  no  sound  in  the 
morning-room  of  the  St.  Christopher 
Club  but  the  furious  dashing  of  pens, 
24 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

the  rending  of  parchment  paper,  the 
sudden  scraping  of  a  nervous  foot 

A  tall  broad-shouldered  young  man, 
with  much  repose  of  face  and  manner, 
entered  the  office  from  the  avenue, 
glanced  at  the  pigeon-holes  above  the 
clerk's  desk,  then  sauntered  deliberately 
into  the  morning-room  and  looked  out 
of  the  window.  A  slight  rigidity  of  the 
nostrils  alone  betokened  the  impatience 
within,  and  his  uneasy  thoughts  ran 
somewhat  as  follows :  — 

"  What  a  fool  I  have  been  !  After  all 
my  experience  with  women  to  make  such 
an  ass  of  myself  over  the  veriest  co 
quette  that  ever  breathed ;  but  her  pref 
erence  for  me  last  winter  was  so 
pointed  —  oh,  damnation !  " 

He  stood  gnawing  his  underlip  at  the 
lumbering  'bus,  but  turned  suddenly  as 
a  man  approached  from  behind  and  pre 
sented  several  letters  on  a  tray.  The 
first  and  only  one  he  opened  ran  thus  :  — 

"  Mon   ami !  —  I    have   but  this  mo- 
25 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

ment  received  your  letter,  which  seems 
to  have  been  delayed.  I  say  nothing 
here  of  the  happiness  which  its  contents 
have  given  me.  Come  at  once. 

"  Jessica  Pendleton. 

"  Our  engagement  must  be  a  profound 
secret  until  the  year  of  my  mourning  is 


over." 


Severance  folded  the  note,  his  face 
paling  a  little. 

"Well,  well,  she  is  true  after  all. 
What  a  brute  I  was  to  misjudge  her ! " 
He  strolled  back  to  the  office.  "  I  will 
go  home  and  write  to  her,  and  to-morrow 
I  shall  see  her !  Great  Heaven  !  Were 
six  months  ever  so  long  before  ? " 

As  he  turned  from  the  coat-room  Bos- 
well  entered  the  office  by  the  opposite 
door. 

"The  fellow  looks  as  gay  as  a  lark," 
he  thought.  "He  hasn't  looked  like 
that  for  six  months.  I  believe  I'll  make 
it  up  with  him  —  particularly  as  I've 
come  out  ahead  !  " 

26 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  Give  me  that  package,"  demanded 
Boswell  dreamily  of  the  clerk.  Then  he 
caught  sight  of  Severance.  "Why, 
Jack,  old  fellow ! "  he  cried,  "  how  are 
you  ?  Haven't  seen  you  looking  so  well 
for  an  age.  Don't  go  out.  It's  too 
hot." 

"  Oh,  hang  it !  I've  got  to.  I'm  off 
for  Newport  to-morrow.  It's  so  infer 
nally  dull  in  town." 

"  Going  to  Newport  to-morrow  !  So 
am  I.  My  aunt  is  quite  ill  and  has  sent 
for  me.  I'm  her  heir,  you  know." 

"  No  ?  Didn't  know  you  had  an 
aunt.  I  congratulate  you.  Hope  she'll 
go  off,  I'm  sure." 

"  Hope  so.  Here  comes  Teddy,  — 
looks  like  an  elongated  rubber  ball.  It's 
some  time  since  I've  seen  him  so  buoy 
ant.  How  are  you,  Teddy  ?  " 

"  How  are  you,  Norton,  old  boy  ? " 
explained  Dedham,  rapturously.  "  How 
glad  I  am  to  hear  the  old  name  once 
more  !  You've  given  me  the  cold  shoul 
der  of  late." 

27 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"Oh,  well,  my  boy,  you  know  men 
will  be  fools  occasionally.  But  give  by 
gones  the  go-by.  I'm  going  to  Newport 
to-morrow.  Can  I  take  any  messages 
to  your  numerous  —  " 

"  Dear  boy !  I'm  going  to  Newport 
to-morrow.  Sea-bathing  ordered  by  my 
physician." 

"Jove!  I  am  in  luck!  Severance  is 
going  over,  too.  We'll  have  a  jolly 
time  of  it." 

"  I  should  say  so  !  "  murmured  Teddy. 
"  Heaven  !  Hello,  Sev,  how  are  you  ? 
Didn't  see  you.  As  long  as  we  are  all 
going  the  same  way  we  might  as  well 
bury  our  hatchet.  What  do  you  say, 
dear  boy  ? " 

"  Only  too  happy,"  said  Severance, 
heartily.  "  And  may  we  never  unearth 
it  again.  Here  comes  Trent.  He  looks 
as  if  he  had  just  been  returned  for  the 
Senate." 

"  How  are  you  ? "    demanded   Trent, 
peremptorily.     "  You  have  made  it  up  ? 
Don't  leave  me  out  in  the  cold." 
28 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

Dedham  made  a  final  lunge  for  his 
deserting  dignity,  then  sent  it  on  its 
way.  "I  should  think  not,"  he  cried, 
with  dancing  eyes.  "Give  me  your 
fist." 

In  a  moment  they  were  all  shaking 
each  other's  hand  off,  and  good-fellow 
ship  was  streaming  from  every  eye. 

"Come  over  to  my  rooms,  all  of  you," 
gurgled  Teddy,  "and  have  a  drink." 

"With  pleasure,  my  boy,"  said  Trent. 
"  But  native  rudeness  will  compel  me 
to  drink  and  run.  I  am  off  for  New 
port—  " 

"  Newport !  "  cried  three  voices. 

"  Yes ;  anything  strange  in  that  ? 
I'm  going  on  vital  business  connected 
with  the  coming  election." 

"  This  is  a  coincidence  !  "  exclaimed 
Boswell,  with  the  appreciation  of  the 
romanticist.  "  Why,  we  are  all  going  to 
Newport.  Dedham  in  search  of  health, 
Severance  of  pleasure,  and  I  of  a  for 
tune —  only  the  old  mummy  is  always 
making  out  her  cheques,  but  never 
29 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

passes  them  in.  Well,  I  hope  we'll  see 
a  lot  of  each  other  when  we  get  there." 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  said  Severance,  has 
tily.  "We  will  have  many  another 
game  of  polo  together." 

"Well,"  said  Dedham,  "come  over  to 
my  rooms  now  and  drink  to  the  success 
of  our  separate  quests." 


Ill 


Ill 


|ISS  DECKER  paced  restlessly 
up  and  down  the  sea-room 
waiting  for  the  mail.  Mrs. 
Pendleton,  more  composed 
but  equally  nervous,  lay  in  a  long 
chair,  with  expectation  in  her  eyes  and 
triumph  on  her  lips. 

"  Will  they  answer  or  will  they  not  ?  " 
exclaimed  Miss  Decker.  "If  the  mail 
would  only  come  !  Will  they  be  crushed  ? 
—  furious  ?  —  or  —  will  they  apologise  ?  " 
"  I  care  nothing  what  they  do,"  said 
Mrs.  Pendleton,  languidly.  "All  I 
wanted  was  to  see  them  when  they 
received  my  notes,  and  later  when 
they  met  to  compare  them.  I  hold 
that  my  revenge  is  a  masterpiece  — 
to  turn  the  joke  on  them  and  to  let 
them  see  that  they  could  not  make  a 

D  33 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

fool  of  me  at  the  same  time !  Oh  !  how 
dared  they  ? " 

"  Well,  they'll  never  perpetrate  another 
practical  joke,  my  dear.  You  have  your 
revenge,  Jessica ;  you  have  blunted  their 
sense  of  humour  for  life.  I  doubt  if  they 
ever  even  read  the  funny  page  of  a  news 
paper  again.  Here  comes  the  postman. 
There  !  the  bell  has  rung.  Why  doesn't 
Hart  go  ?  I'll  go  myself  in  a  minute." 

Mrs.  Pendleton's  nostrils  dilated  a 
little,  but  she  did  not  turn  her  head 
even  when  the  manservant  entered  and 
held  a  silver  tray  before  her. 

Four  letters  lay  thereon.  She  placed 
them  on  her  lap  but  did  not  speak  until 
the  man  had  left  the  room.  Then  she 
looked  at  Miss  Decker  and  gave  the 
letters  a  little  sweep  with  the  tips  of 
her  fingers. 

"  They  have  answered,"  she  said. 

"  Oh,  Jessica,  for  Heaven's  sake  don't 
be  so  iron-bound !  "  cried  her  friend. 
"  Read  them." 

"  You  can  read  them  if  you  choose. 

34 


MJtS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

I  have  no  interest  beyond  knowing  that 
they  received  mine." 

Miss  Decker  needed  no  second  invi 
tation.  She  caught  the  letters  from  Mrs. 
Pendleton's  lap  and  tore  one  of  them 
open.  She  read  a  few  lines,  then 
dropped  limply  on  a  chair. 

"Jessica!"  she  whispered,  with  a 
little  agonised  gasp,  "  listen  to  this." 

Mrs.  Pendleton  turned  her  eyes  in 
quiringly,  but  would  not  stoop  to  curi 
osity.  "Well,"  she  said,  "I  am  listen 
ing." 

"It  is  from  Mr.  Trent.  And  — 
listen :  — 

"  '  Angel !  I  think  if  you  had  kept  me 
waiting  one  day  longer  you  would  have 
met  a  lunatic  wandering  on  the  Newport 
cliffs.  Last  night  I  attended  a  primary 
and  made  such  an  egregious  idiot  of  my 
self  (although  I  was  complimented  later 
upon  my  speech)  that  I  shall  never  under 
stand  why  I  was  not  hissed.  But  here 
after  I  shall  be  inspired.  And  how  you 

35 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

will  shine  in  Washington  !  That  is  the 
place  for  our  talents.  After  reading 
your  reserved  yet  impassioned  note,  I 
do  not  feel  that  I  can  talk  more 
rationally  upon  politics  than  while  in 
suspense.  What  do  you  think  I  did  ? 
I  made  it  all  up  with  Severance,  Ded- 
ham,  and  Boswell,  whom  I  met  just 
after  receiving  it.  I  could  afford  to 
forgive  them.  They,  by  the  way,  go 
to  Newport  to-morrow.  Farewell,  most 
brilliant  of  women,  destined  by  Heaven 
to  be  the  wife  of  a  diplomatist  —  for  I 
will  confide  to  you  that  that  is  my  ulti 
mate  ambition.  Until  to-morrow, 

"  <  Clarence  Trent.'  " 

"  Well !    What  do  you  think  of  that  ? " 

A  pink  wave  had  risen  to  Mrs.  Pendle- 
ton's  hair,  then  receded  and  broken  upon 
the  haughty  curve  of  her  mouth. 

"  Read  the  others/'  she  said  briefly. 

"  Oh  !  how  can  you  be  so  cool  ?  "  and 
Miss  Decker  opened  another  note  with 
trembling  fingers. 

36 


MRS.   PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  It  is  from  Norton  Boswell :  — 

"  '  You  once  chided  me  for  looking  at 
the  world  through  grey  spectacles,  and 
bade  me  always  hope  for  the  best  until 
the  worst  was  decided.  When  you  were 
near  to  encourage  me  the  sky  was  often 
pink,  but  even  the  memory  of  the  last 
six  months  has  faded  before  the  agonised 
suspense  of  these  seven  days.  Oh  !  I 
shall  be  an  author  now,  if  suffering  is  the 
final  lesson.  But  what  incoherent  stuff  I 
am  writing !  Loneliness  and  despair  are 
alike  forgotten.  I  can  write  no  more ! 
To-morrow !  To-morrow ! 

" '  Boswell.' " 

"  Read  Severance's,"  said  Jessica, 
quickly. 

"  I  believe  you  like  that  man !  "  ex 
claimed  Miss  Decker.  "  I  think  he's 
a  brute.  But  you're  in  a  scrape.  This 
is  from  the  lordly  Severance  :  — 

"  '  An  Englishman  once  said  of  you, 
with  a  drawl  which  wound  the  words 

37 


MRS.   PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

about  my  memory  —  "  Y-a-a-s ;  she  flirts 
on  ice,  so  to  speak."  Coldest  and  most 
subtle  of  women,  why  did  you  keep  me 
in  suspense  for  seven  long  days  ?  Do 
you  think  I  believe  that  fiction  of  the 
delayed  letter  ?  You  forget  that  we 
have  met  before.  But  why  torment  me  ? 
Did  I  not  in  common  decency  have  to 
wait  six  months  before  I  dared  put  my 
fate  to  the  test  ?  How  I  counted  those 
days  !  I  had  a  calendar  and  a  pencil  — 
in  short,  I  made  a  fool  of  myself.  Now 
the  chess-board  is  between  us  once  more  : 
we  start  on  even  ground ;  we  will  play  a 
keen  and  close  game  to  the  end  of  our 
natural  lives.  I  love  you ;  but  I  know 
you.  I  will  kiss  the  rod  —  until  we 
marry  ;  after  that  —  we  shall  play  chess. 
I  shall  see  you  to-morrow.  S.' ' 

"  Well,  that's  what  I  call  a  beast  of  a 
man,"  said  Miss  Decker. 

"I  hate  him!"  said  Jessica,  between 
her  teeth. 

She  looked  hard  at  the  ocean.  Under 
38 


MRS.   PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

its  grey  sky  to-day  it  was  the  colour  of 
her  eyes,  as  cold  and  as  unfathomable. 
The  glittering  Medusa-like  ends  of  her 
hair  seemed  to  leap  upward  and  writhe 
at  each  other. 

"  I  should  think  you  would  hate  him," 
said  Miss  Decker ;  "  he  is  the  only  living 
man  who  ever  got  the  best  of  you.  But 
listen  to  what  your  devoted  infant  has 
to  say.  Nice  little  boy,  Teddy :  — 

"  '  Dearest !  Sweetest !  Do  you  know 
that  I  am  almost  dancing  for  joy  at  this 
moment?  Indeed,  my  feet  are  going 
faster  than  my  pen.  To  think!  To 
think !  —  you  really  do  love  me  after 
all.  But  I  always  said  you  were  not  a 
flirt.  I  knocked  a  man  down  once  and 
challenged  him  to  a  duel  because  he 
said  you  were.  He  wouldn't  fight,  but 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  letting  him 
know  what  I  thought  of  him.  And  now 
I  can  prove  it  to  all  the  world  !  But  I 
can't  write  any  more.  There  are  three 
blots  on  this  now  —  the  pen  is  jumping 

39 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

and  you  know  I  never  was  much  at 
writing  letters.  But  I  can  talk,  and  to 
morrow  I  will  tell  you  all. 

"  *  Your  own  Teddy. 

"  *  P.S.  —  Is  it  not  queer  —  quite  a  co 
incidence  —  Severance,  Trent,  and  Bos- 
well  are  going  to  Newport  to-morrow, 
too.  How  proud  I  shall  be  !  But  no, 
I  take  that  back ;  I  only  pity  them,  poor 
devils,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart ;  or 

I  would  if  it  wasn't  filled  up  with  you. 

tt  '•p  > »» 

"  Well,  madam,  you  're  in  a  scrape,  and 
I  don't  envy  you.  What  will  you  do  ?  " 

Mrs.  Pendleton  pressed  her  head 
against  the  back  of  the  chair,  straining 
her  head  upward  as  if  she  wanted  the 
salt  breeze  to  rasp  her  throat. 

"  I  have  been  so  bored  for  six 
months,"  she  said  slowly.  "  Let  them 
come.  I  will  see  each  of  them  alone, 
and  keep  the  farce  going  for  a  week  or 
so.  It  will  be  amusing  —  to  be  engaged 
to  four  men  at  once.  You  will  com- 
40 


MRS.   PENDLETON1  S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

mand  the  forces  and  see  that  they  do 
not  meet.  Of  course,  it  cannot  be  kept 
up  very  long,  and  when  all  resources 
are  failing  I  will  let  them  meet  and 
make  them  madly  jealous.  It  will  do 
one  of  them  good,  at  least. " 

"Well,  you  have  courage/'  ejaculated 
Miss  Decker.  "You  can't  do  it.  But 
yes,  you  can.  If  the  woman  lives  who 
can  play  jackstraws  with  firebrands,  that 
woman  is  you.  And  what  fun !  We 
are  so  dull  here — -both  in  mourning. 
I'll  help  you.  I'll  carry  out  your  in 
structions  like  a  major." 

Mrs.  Pendleton  rose  and  walked  up 
and  down  the  room  once  or  twice. 
"  There  is  only  one  thing,"  she  said, 
drawing  her  brows  together :  "if  I  am 
engaged  to  them  they  will  want  to  —  h'm 
—  kiss  me,  you  know.  It  will  be  rather 
awkward.  I  never  was  engaged  to  any 
one  but  Mr.  Pendleton,  and  he  used  to 
kiss  me  on  my  forehead  and  say,  '  My 
dear  child.'  I  am  afraid  they  won't  be 
contented  with  that" 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"I  am  afraid  they  won't!  But  you 
have  tact  enough.  Come,  say  you  will 
do  it." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jessica,  "  I  will  do  it.  In 
my  boarding-school  days  I  used  to  dream 
of  being  a  tragedy  queen  ;  I  find  myself 
thrust  by  circumstances  into  comedy. 
But  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  suit  my 
talents  better." 


IV 


IV 


SCENE   I 


strode    impa 

tiently  up  and  down  the  room 
overlooking  the  ocean. 
"  '  Will  be  down  in  a  minute.'  I  sup 
pose  that  means  the  usual  thirty  for 
reflection  and  contemplation  of  bric-a- 
brac.  What  a  pretty  room  !  No  bric- 
a-brac  in  it,  by  the  way.  I  wonder  if 
this  is  the  room  my  lady  Jessica  is  said 
to  have  furnished  to  suit  herself?  It 
looks  like  a  woodland  glade.  She  must 
look  stunning  against  those  moss-green 
curtains.  I  wonder  how  madam  liked 
my  letter  ?  It  was  rather  brutal,  but  to 
manage  a  witch  you  have  got  to  be  Jove 

45 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

astride  a  high  horse.  Here  she  comes. 
I  know  that  perfume.  She  uses  it  to 
sweeten  the  venom  of  those  snakes  of 
hers." 

Mrs.  Pendleton  entered  and  gave  him 
her  hand  with  frank  welcome.  Her 
"  snakes  "  seemed  vibrant  with  life  and 
defiance,  and  her  individuality  pierced 
through  her  white  conventional  gown 
like  a  solitary  star  in  a  hueless  sky. 

"  How  do  you  do  ? "  she  asked,  shak 
ing  his  hand  warmly ;  then  she  sat 
down  at  once  as  a  matter  of  course. 

He  understood  the  manoeuvre. 

"  Let  us  play  chess,  by  all  means,"  he 
said  and  took  a  chair  opposite.  "  Your 
seclusion  has  done  you  good,"  he  added, 
smiling  as  the  crest  of  a  wave  appeared 
in  her  eyes.  "You  have  lost  your 
fagged  look  and  are  more  like  a  girl 
than  a  widow.  Dissipation  does  not 
agree  with  you.  Two  more  winters! 
You  would  try  to  make  up  for  it  by 
your  wit,  and  then  your  nose  would  get 
sharp,  and  you  would  have  a  line  down 
46 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

the  middle  of  your  forehead  and  another 
on  each  side  of  your  mouth." 

"You  are  as  rude  as  ever,"  said  Jes 
sica,  coldly;  but  the  wave  in  her  eyes 
threatened  to  become  tidal.  "  If  you 
marry  a  blonde  and  incarcerate  her, 
however,  you  may  find  the  effect  more 
bleaching  than  Society." 

"  Was  that  a  reflection  upon  my  own 
society?  I  do  not  incarcerate;  I  only 


warn." 


"  So  do  I,"  said  Mrs.  Pendleton,  sig 
nificantly  ;  "  I  have  occasionally  got 
the  best  of  a  bad  bargain." 

"  And  as  you  will  find  me  the  worst 
in  the  world  you  are  already  on  the 
defensive,"  said  Severance,  with  a  laugh. 
"  Come,  I  have  not  seen  you  for  six 
months,  and  I  am  hard  hit.  I  wrote 
you  that  I  marked  off  each  day  with 
a  pencil  —  a  red  one  at  that ;  I  bought 
it  for  the  occasion.  Don't  take  a  base 
advantage  of  the  admission,  but  give 
me  one  kind  syllable.  I  ask  for  it  as 
humbly  as  a  dog  does  for  a  bone." 

47 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  You  do,  indeed.  I  began  by  making 
disagreeable  remarks  about  your  per 
sonal  appearance,  did  I  not?  If 
you  will  be  a  brute,  I  will  be  a  — 
cat" 

"  You  will  acquit  yourself  with  credit. 
But  I  will  not  quarrel  with  you  to-day." 
He  rose  suddenly  and  went  over  to  her, 
but  she  was  already  on  her  feet.  She 
dropped  her  eyes,  then  raised  them  ap- 
pealingly ;  but  the  sea  was  level. 

"  Do  not  kiss  me/'  she  said. 

"  Why  not  ? " 

"I  would  rather  not  —  yet.  Do  you 
know  that  I  have  never  kissed  a  man 
—  a  lover,  I  mean  —  in  my  life  ?  And 
this  is  so  sudden  —  I  would  rather 
wait." 

He  raised  her  hand  chivalrously  to 
his  lips.  "I  will  wait,"  he  said;  "but 
you  will  wear  my  ring  ?  "  And  he  took 
a  circlet  from  his  pocket  and  slipped  it 
on  her  finger. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said  simply  and 
touched  it  with  a  little  caressing  motion. 
48 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

He  dropped  her  hand  and  stepped 
back.  Miss  Decker  had  pushed  aside 
the  portiere. 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Severance?" 
she  said  cordially ;  "  I  did  not  interrupt 
even  to  congratulate,  but  to  take  Jessica 
away  for  a  moment.  My  dear,  your 
dressmaker  came  down  on  the  train 
with  Mr.  Severance  and  has  but  a 
minute.  You  had  better  go  at  once, 
for  you  know  her  temper  is  not  sweet." 

"  Provoking  thing ! "  said  Jessica, 
with  a  pout.  It  was  the  fourth  mood 
to  which  she  treated  Severance  in  this 
short  interview,  and  he  looked  at  her 
with  delight.  "  But  I  will  get  rid  of 
her  as  soon  as  possible.  Will  you  ex 
cuse  me  for  a  few  moments  ?  I  will  be 
back  in  ten." 

"  A  dressmaker  is  the  only  tyrant  to 
whom  I  bow,  the  only  foe  before  whom 
I  lay  down  my  arms.  Go;  but  come 
back  soon." 

"  In  ten  minutes." 

" Which  is  it,  and  where  is  he?"  she 
E  49 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

whispered  eagerly  as  they  crossed  the 
hall. 

"Mr.  Trent.     He  is  in  the  library." 

SCENE   II 

TRENT  was  standing  before  a  bust  of 
Daniel  Webster,  speculating  upon  how 
his  own  profile  would  look  in  bronze. 

"  You  would  have  to  shave  off  your 
side-whiskers/'  murmured  a  soft  voice 
behind  him. 

He  turned  with  a  nervous  start,  and  a 
suspicion  of  colour  appeared  under  his 
grey  skin.  Mrs.  Pendleton  was  stand 
ing  with  her  hands  resting  lightly  on 
the  table.  She  smiled  with  saucy  dig 
nity  —  an  art  she  had  brought  to  per 
fection. 

"  I  give  you  five  years,"  she  said. 

"With  you  to  help  me,"  he  cried 
enthusiastically.  "  Ah  !  I  see  you  now, 
leaning  on  the  arm  of  a  foreign  ambas 
sador,  going  in  to  some  great  diplomatic 
dinner!" 

5° 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"It  is  too  bad,  I  shall  have  to  take 
the  arm  of  a  small  one;  you  will  be 
but  the  American  minister,  you  know. 
(Great  Heaven !  how  determined  he 
looks !  I  know  he  means  to  kiss  me. 
If  I  can  only  keep  his  ambition  going.)  " 

"  I  will  be  senator  first,  and  pass  a 
bill  placing  this  country  on  an  equal 
diplomatic  footing  with  the  proudest  in 
Europe.  You  will  then  go  to  your  em 
bassy  as  the  wife  of  an  ambassador." 

"  I  know  you  will  accomplish  it;  and 
let  it  be  Paris.  I  cannot  endure  to  shop 
anywhere  else/' 

"  It  shall  be  Paris.'1 

"Are  you  not  tired?"  she  asked 
hurriedly. 

"Tired?  I  have  not  thought  of 
fatigue." 

"  The  day  is  so  warm." 

"  I  have  not  felt  it.     Jessica  !  " 

"  O — h — h — h  !  "  and  catching  her 
face  convulsively  in  her  hand,  she  sank 
into  a  chair. 

"  What  is  it  ?  What  is  it  ?  "  he  cried, 
51 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

hopping  about  her  like  an  agitated  spider, 
the  tip  of  his  nose  punctuating  his  excite 
ment.  "  What  can  I  do  ?  Are  you  ill  ?  " 

Faintly :    "  Neuralgia." 

"  What  shall  I  ring  for  ?  Antipyrine  ? 
Horse-radish  for  your  wrists  ?  Bella 
donna  ?  What?" 

"  Nothing.  Sit  down  and  talk  to  me, 
and  perhaps  it  will  go  away.  Tell  me 
something  about  yourself,  and  I'll  forget 
it.  Sit  down." 

"There  is  but  little  to  tell.  I  have 
been  busy  making  friends  against  the 
next  election.  I  have  addressed  sev 
eral  meetings  with  great  success.  I 
have  every  chance  for  the  House 
this  time  —  for  the  Senate  next  term. 
How's  your  face  ?  " 

"  Misery  !  You  said  that  several  of 
my  old  friends  came  down  with  you. 
How  odd !  " 

"  Was  it  not  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  they  will  all  come  to  see 


me." 


"  H'm.    I  don't  know.    Doubt  if  they 
52 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

know  you  are  here.  I  shall  not  tell 
them.  They  would  only  be  coming  to 
see  you  and  getting  in  my  way.  I'll 
wait  until  our  wedding-day  approaches 
and  ask  them  to  be  ushers.  But  now, 
Jessica,  that  you  do  not  seem  to  suffer 
so  acutely  —  " 

"  Oh !  Oh  !  (Thank  Heaven,  I  hear 
Edith.)  " 

Trent  sprang  to  his  feet  in  genuine 
alarm.  "  Dearest !  Let  me  go  for  the 
doctor.  I  cannot  stand  this  —  " 

Miss  Decker  entered  with  apparent 
haste,  spoke  to  Trent,  then  stopped 
abruptly. 

"  Jessica !  "  she  cried.  "  What  is  the 
matter?" 

"  My  face !  You  know  how  I  have 
suffered  —  worse  than  ever." 

"  Oh,  you  poor  dear !  She  is  such  a 
martyr,  Mr.  Trent,  with  that  tooth —  " 

"  Neuralgia ! " 

"  I  mean  neuralgia !  She  was  up 
all  night.  But,  my  dear,  don't  think 
me  a  heartless  fiend,  but  you  must  see 

53 


MRS.   PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

your  lawyer.  He  is  here  with  those 
deeds  for  you  to  sign,  and  he  says 
that  he  must  catch  the  train." 

"  That  estate  has  given  me  so  much 
trouble,"  murmured  Mrs.  Pendleton, 
wretchedly ;  "  and  how  can  I  talk 
business  when  my  head  is  on  the 
rack?  I  do  not  wish  to  leave  Mr. 
Trent  so  soon,  either." 

"  Leave  Mr.  Trent  to  me.  I  will  en 
tertain  him.  I  will  talk  to  him  about 
you." 

"  May  I  speak  to  you  one  moment 
before  you  go  ? "  asked  Trent. 

"  Yes,"  pinching  her  lips  with  ex- 
tremest  pain,  "you  need  not  mind 
Edith." 

"  Not  in  the  least."  He  took  a  box 
from  his  pocket  with  an  air  of  resigna 
tion  which  boded  well  for  the  trials  of  a 
diplomatic  career.  "  I  cannot  wait  longer 
to  fetter  you.  You  told  me  once  that 
the  emerald  was  your  favourite  stone." 

She  relaxed  her  lips  and  swept  her 
lashes  down  and  up  rapturously.     "  So 
54 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

good  of  you  to  remember,"  she  mur 
mured;  "it  reminds  me  of  mermaids 
and  things,  and  I  love  it." 

"  You  were  always  so  poetical !  But 
where  did  you  get  that  ring  ?  I  thought 
you  never  wore  rings.  On  your  engage 
ment  finger,  too ! " 

"  It  was  a  present  from  grandma,  and 
I  wear  it  to  please  her.  I'll  slip  it  in  my 
pocket  now  —  it  is  too  large  for  any  other 
finger  —  and  you  can  put  yours  where  it 
belongs." 

"  You  will  never  take  it  off  until  you 
need  its  place  for  your  wedding-ring  ? " 

"  Never ! " 

"  Angel !     And  your  face  is  better  ? " 

"Yes;  but  Edith  is  looking  directly 
this  way." 

SCENE   III 

MRS.  PENDLETON  entered  the  drawing- 
room  on  tiptoe,  with  hand  upraised. 

"  Well !  the  sky  did  not  fall,  and  the 
train  did  not  ditch,  and  the  lightning  did 
not  strike,  and  we  are  neither  of  us  dead. 

55 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

And  you  —  you  look  as  strapping  as  a 
West  Point  cadet.  Fie  upon  your  prin 
ciples  ! " 

"  That  is  a  charming  tirade  with  which 
to  greet  an  impatient  lover/1  cried  Bos- 
well,  with  beaming  face.  "  You  are 
serious,  of  course  ? " 

"  You  have  heard  the  parable  of  a 
woman's  *  No  '  ? "  She  gave  both  his 
outstretched  hands  a  little  shake,  then 
retreated  behind  a  chair  and  rested  both 
arms  on  its  back. 

"  My  anger  is  appeased,  but  I  think  I 
am  entitled  to  some  recompense/' 

"What  can  he  mean?  Would  you 
prefer  sherry  or  red  wine  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  draught  brewed  upon 
Olympus  which  the  gods  call  nec 
tar—  " 

"  So  sorry.  We  are  just  out.  I  gave 
the  last  thimbleful  away  an  hour  ago." 

"  Oh,  you  did !  May  I  inquire  to 
whom  you  gave  it  ?  " 

"  You  may,  indeed.     And  I  would  tell 
you  —  could  I  only  remember." 
56 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  Provoking  —  goddess !  But  perhaps 
you  will  allow  me  to  look  for  myself. 
Perchance  I  might  find  a  drop  or  two 
remaining.  I  am  willing  to  take  what 
I  can  get  and  be  thankful." 

"  Then  you  will  never  get  much,"  she 
thought  "  The  dregs  are  always  bit 
ter." 

"  There  can  be  no  dregs  to  the  nectar 
in  question/' 

"  And  the  last  drop  always  goes  to  the 
head.  I  have  heard  it  asserted  upon 
authority.  Think  of  the  scandal  —  the 
butler  —  oh,  Heaven  !  " 

"The  intoxication  would  make  me  but 
tread  the  air.  I  should  walk  right  over 
the  butler's  head.  Where  did  you  get 
that  ring?" 

"  Is  it  not  lovely  ?  It  was "  (heav 
ing  a  profound  sigh)  "the  last  gift  of 
poor  dear  Mr.  Pendleton." 

"  Indeed  !  Well,  under  the  circum 
stances,  perhaps  you  will  not  mind  re 
moving  it  and  wearing  that  of  another 
unfortunate,"  and  he  placed  one  knee 
57 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

on  the  chair  over  which  she  leaned  and 
produced  a  ring. 

"  Not  at  all.  What  a  beauty !  How 
did  you  know  that  the  ruby  was  my 
favourite  stone  ?"  And  she  bent  her 
body  backward,  under  pretence  of  hold 
ing  the  stone  up  to  the  light. 

"But  you  have  a  number  of  rubies 
and  pearls  in  your  possession,  of  which 
I  consider  myself  the  rightful  owner. 
Shall  I  have  to  call  in  the  law  to  give 
me  mine  own  ? " 

"  The  pearls  are  sharp,  and  the  rubies 
may  be  paste.  I  have  the  best  of  the 
bargain." 

"  I  am  a  connoisseur  on  the  subject  of 
precious  stones  —  of  precious  articles  of 
all  sorts,  in  fact.  What  an  outrageous 
coquette  you  are !  What  is  the  use  of 
keeping  a  man  in  misery  ? " 

"Why  are  men  always  in  such  a 
hurry  ?  If  I  were  a  man  now  —  and  an 
author  —  I  should  wait  for  moonlight, 
waves  breaking  on  rocks,  and  all  the 
rest  of  it." 

58 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"All  the  old  property  business,  in 
short.  I  am  both  a  man  and  an  author, 
therefore  I  know  the  folly  of  delay  in 
this  short  life." 

"  But  suppose  the  door  should  open 
suddenly  ? " 

"  I  have  been  here  ten  minutes,  and  it 
has  not  opened  yet." 

"  But  it  might,  you  know ;  and  the 
small  boys  of  this  house  are  an  exag 
geration  of  all  that  have  gone  before. 
Ah !  here  comes  some  one.  Sit  down  on 
that  chair  instantly." 

Miss  Decker  entered  and  looked  dep- 
recatingly  at  Boswell. 

"  You  have  come  at  last,"  she  said. 
"  We  were  afraid  something  had  hap 
pened  to  you.  I  cannot  help  this 
interruption,  Jessica.  Your  grand 
mother  is  here  and  wants  to  see  you 
immediately.  She  has  been  tele 
graphed  for  to  go  to  Philadelphia ; 
Mrs.  Armstrong  is  very  ill.  I  would 
not  keep  her  waiting." 

"  Poor  grandma !     To   think   of   her 

59 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

being  obliged  to  go  to  Philadelphia  in 
September.  Where  is  she  ? " 

"  In  the  yellow  reception-room.  Mr. 
Boswell  will  excuse  you  for  a  few 
minutes." 

Boswell  bowed,  his  face  stamped  with 
gloom. 

"What  have  you  done  with  the 
others  ?  "  asked  Jessica,  as  she  closed 
the  door. 

"Mr.  Severance  is  storming  up  and 
down  the  sea-room.  Mr.  Trent  is  like 
a  caged  lion  in  the  library;  I  expect 
to  hear  a  crash  every  minute.  But  both 
know  what  lawyers  and  dressmakers 
mean.  Boswell  will  learn  something  of 
grandmothers.  But  they  are  safe  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  longer.  Trust  all 
to  me." 


SCENE   IV 

DEDHAM  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of 
one  of  the  reception-room  chairs,  lock 
ing  and  unlocking  his  fingers  until  his 
60 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

hands  were  as  red  as  those  of  a  son  of 
toil.  He  was  nervous,  happy,  terrified, 
annoyed. 

"  That  beastly  porter  to  keep  me 
waiting  so  long  for  my  portmanteau  !" 
he  almost  cried  aloud.  "  What  must 
she  think  of  me  ? " 

"  You  wicked  boy ! "  said  a  voice 
of  gentle  reproach.  "  What  made  you 
so  late  ?  I  was  just  about  to  send 
and  inquire  if  anything  had  happened 
to  you.  But  sit  down.  How  tired  you 
must  be !  Would  you  like  a  glass  of 
sherry  and  a  biscuit  ? " 

"  Nothing  !  Nothing !  You  know,  it's 
not  my  fault  that  I'm  late.  My  port 
manteau  got  mislaid  and  my  travelling 
clothes  were  so  dusty.  And  you  really 
are  glad  to  see  me  ?  " 

"What  a  question  !  It  makes  me  feel 
young  again  to  see  you." 

"  Young  again !     You !  " 

"I    am    twenty-four,   Teddy,   and    a 
widow,"  and  she  shook  her  head  sadly. 
"  I  feel  fearfully  old  —  like  your  mother. 
61 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

I  have  had  so  much  care  and  responsi 
bility  in  my  life,  and  you  are  so  careless 
and  debonair.'* 

"You'll  make  me  cry  in  a  minute,'* 
said  Teddy  ;  "  and  I  wish  you  wouldn't 
talk  like  that.  You  seem  to  put  a  whole 
Adirondack  between  us." 

"  I  can't  help  it.  Perhaps  I'll  get  over 
it  after  a  time.  It's  so  sad  being  mewed 
up  six  whole  months !  " 

"Then  marry  me  right  off.  That's 
just  the  point.  We'll  go  and  travel  and 
have  a  jolly  good  time.  That'll  brace 
you  up  and  make  you  feel  as  young  as 
you  look.'* 

"  I  can't,  Teddy.  I  must  wait  a  year 
in  common  decency.  Think  how  people 
would  talk." 

"  Let  'em.  They'll  soon  find  some 
thing  else  and  forget  us.  Marry  me 
next  month." 

"  Next  month—  well  —  " 

"  It  would  be  rather  fun  to  be  the  hero 
and    heroine   of   a    sensation,   anyhow. 
That's  what  everybody's  after.     You're 
62  ' 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

just  a  nonentity  until  you've  been  black 
guarded  in  the  papers.  Whose  ring  is 
that?" 

"  One  of  Edith's.  I  put  it  on  to  re 
member  something  by." 

"Well,  take  it  off  and  wear  this  in 
stead.  It'll  help  your  memory  just  as 
well." 

"What,  a  solitaire!" 

"  I  knew  you  would  prefer  it.  I  know 
all  your  tastes  by  instinct." 

"You  do,  Teddy.  Coloured  stones 
are  so  tiresome." 

"  By  the  way,  I  think  your  old  admirer, 
Severance,  must  be  about  to  put  himself 
in  silken  fetters,  as  Boswell  would  say. 
I  caught  him  buying  an  unusually  fine 
sapphire  in  Tiffany's  yesterday.  Said 
it  was  for  his  sister.  H'm  —  h'm." 

"  Ah  !  I  wonder  who  it  can  be  ?  " 

"  Don't  know.  Hasn't  looked  at  a 
woman  since  you  left.  But  I  have  a 
strong  suspicion  that  it  is  some  one  here 
in  Newport." 

' '  Here  !  I  wonder  if  it  can  be  Edith  ? '" 

63 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  Miss  Decker  ?  Sure  enough.  Never 
seemed  to  pay  her  much  attention, 
though.  She's  not  my  style ;  too  much 
like  sixteen  dozen  other  New  York  girls." 

He  buttoned  up  his  coat,  braced  him 
self  against  it,  and  gave  his  moustache 
a  frantic  twist. 

"  Mrs.  —  Jessica  !  "  he  ejaculated  des 
perately,  "you  are  engaged  to  me  — 
won't  you  —  won't  you  —  " 

She  drew  herself  up  and  glanced  down 
upon  him  from  her  higher  chair  with  a 
look  of  sad  disapproval. 

"I  did  not  think  it  of  you,  Teddy," 
she  said.  "  And  it  is  one  of  the  things 
of  which  I  have  never  approved." 

"  But  why  not  ?  "  asked  Teddy,  feebly. 

"  I  thought  you  knew  me  better  than 
to  ask  such  a  question." 

"  I  know  you  are  an  angel  —  oh,  hang 
it!  You  do  make  me  feel  as  if  you 
were  my  mother." 

"  Now,  don't  be  unreasonable,  or  I 
shall  believe  that  you  are  a  tyrant." 

"  A  tyrant  ?     I  ?     Horri  —  no,  I  wish 

64 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

I  was.  What  a  model  of  propriety  you 
are !  I  never  should  have  thought  it  — 
I  mean  —  darling  !  you  were  always  such 
a  coquette,  you  know.  Not  that  I  ever 
thought  so.  You  know  I  never  did  — 
oh,  hang  it  all  —  but  if  I  let  you  have 
your  own  way  in  this  unreasonable  —  I 
mean  this  perfectly  natural  whim  — 
you  might  at  least  promise  to  marry  me 
in  a  month.  And,  indeed,  I  think  that 
if  you  are  an  angel,  I  am  a  saint." 

"Well,  on  one  condition." 

"  Any  !     Any  !  " 

"  It  must  be  an  absolute  secret  until 
the  wedding  is  over.  I  hate  congratula 
tions,  and  if  we  are  going  to  have  a  sen 
sation  we  might  as  well  have  a  good 
concentrated  one." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  and  I'll  never  find 
fault  with  you  again.  You  —  " 

Miss  Decker  almost  ran  into  the  room. 

"  Jessica  !  "  she  cried.    "  Oh,  dear  Mr. 

Dedham,  how  are  you  ?     Jessica,  mother 

has  one  of   her  terrible  attacks,  and  I 

must  ask  you  to  stay  with  her  while  I 

F  65 


MRS.  PENDLETOWS  FOUR-IN-HAND 

go  for  the  doctor  myself.  I  cannot  trust 
servants/' 

"  Let  me  go  !  let  me  go  !  "  cried  Teddy. 
"  I'll  bring  him  back  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  Who  shall  —  " 

"  Coleman.     He  lives  —  " 

"I  know.  Au  revoir!"  And  the 
girls  were  alone. 

"  There !"  exclaimed  Miss  Decker, 
"  we  have  got  rid  of  him.  Now  for  the 
others.  You  slip  upstairs,  and  I'll  dis 
pose  of  them  one  by  one.  You  are  taken 
suddenly  ill.  Teddy  will  not  be  back 
for  an  hour.  Dr.  Coleman  has  moved." 


66 


V 

LAMP  burned  in  the  sea-room, 
and  the  two  girls  were  sitting 
in  their  evening  gowns  before  a 
bright  log  fire.  Miss  Decker 
was  in  white  this  time  —  an  elaborate 
French  concoction  of  embroidered  mus 
lin  which  made  her  look  like  an  expen 
sive  fashion  plate.  Jessica  wore  a  low-cut 
black  crepe,  above  which  she  rose  like 
carved  ivory  and  brass.  The  snakes 
to-night  were  held  in  place  by  diamond 
hair-pins  that  glittered  like  baleful  eyes. 
In  her  lap  sparkled  four  rings. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  she  exclaimed. 
"  If  my  life  depended  upon  it,  I  could 
not  remember  who  gave  me  which." 

"  Let  us  think.  What  sort  of  a  stone 
would  a  politician  be  most  likely  to 
choose  ? " 

69 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

Mrs.  Pendleton  laughed.  "A  good 
idea.  If  couleur  de  rose  be  synonymous 
with  conceit,  then  I  think  the  ruby  must 
have  come  from  Mr.  Trent." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it.  And  as  your  author 
is  always  in  the  dumps,  I  am  certain  he 
takes  naturally  to  the  sapphire." 

"  But  the  emerald  —  " 

"  Is  emblematic  of  your  deluded 
Teddy.  The  solitaire  therefore  falls 
naturally  to  Mr.  Severance.  Well,  now 
that  you  have  got  through  the  first  inter 
views  in  safety,  what  are  you  going  to 
do  next  ? " 

"Edith,  I  do  not  know.  They  are  all 
so  dreadfully  in  earnest  that  I  believe 
I  shall  finally  take  to  my  heels  in  down 
right  terror.  But  no,  I  won't.  I'll  come 
out  of  it  with  the  upper  hand  and  save 
my  reputation  as  an  actress.  I  will  keep 
it  up  for  two  or  three  days  more,  but 
after  that  it  will  be  impossible.  They 
are  bound  to  meet  here  sooner  or  later. 
Thank  Heaven,  we  are  rid  of  them  for 
to-night,  at  least!  " 

70 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

The  manservant  threw  back  the 
portiere. 

"  Mr.  Trent !  " 

"  Heavens  !  "  cried  Edith,  under  her 
breath ;  "  I  forgot  to  give  orders  that  we 
were  not  receiv  —  how  do  you  do,  Mr. 
Trent?" 

"And  which  is  his  ring  ? "  Jessica 
made  a  frenzied  dab  at  the  jewels  in  her 
lap.  She  slipped  the  sapphire  on  her 
finger  and  hid  the  others  under  a 
cushion.  Trent,  who  had  been  detained 
a  moment  by  Miss  Decker,  advanced  to 
her. 

"  It  is  very  soon  to  come  again/'  he 
said,  "  but  I  simply  had  to  call  and  in 
quire  if  you  felt  better.  I  am  delighted 
to  see  that  you  apparently  do/* 

"  I  am  better,  thank  you."  Her  voice 
was  weak.  "  It  was  good  of  you  to 
come  again." 

"  Whose  ring  is  that  ?  " 

"  Why  —  a  —  to  —  sure  —  " 

"  Jessica  !  "  cried  Miss  Decker,  "  have 
you  gone  off  with  my  ring  again  ?  You 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

are  so  absent-minded!  I  hunted  for 
that  ring  high  and  low !  " 

"  You  should  not  be  so  good-natured, 
and  my  memory  would  turn  over  a  new 
leaf.  Here,  take  it."  She  tossed  the 
ring  to  Miss  Decker  and  raised  her  eyes 
guiltily  to  Trent's.  "  Shall  I  go  up  and 
get  the  other  ?" 

"  No.  But  I  thought  you  promised 
never  to  take  it  off." 

"  I  forgot  that  water  ruins  stones." 

"  Well,  it  is  a  consolation  to  know  that 
water  does  not  ruin  a  certain  plain  gold 
circlet." 

"  Mr.  Boswell !  " 

Jessica  gasped  and  looked  at  the 
flames.  A  crisis  had  come.  Would 
she  be  clever  enough  ?  Then  the  situa 
tion  stimulated  her.  She  held  out  her 
hand  to  Boswell. 

"  You  have  come  to  see  me  ? "  she 
cried  delightedly.  "  Mr.  Trent  has  just 
been  telling  us  that  you  came  down  with 
him,  and  I  hoped  you  would  call  soon." 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure  —  to  be  sure.  You 
72 


MRS.  PENDLETON1  S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

might  have  known  I  would  call  soon." 
He  bowed  stiffly  to  Trent,  and,  seating 
himself  close  beside  Jessica,  murmured 
in  her  ear :  "  Cannot  you  get  rid  of  that 
fellow  ?  How  did  he  find  you  out  so 
soon  ? " 

"  Why,  he  came  to  see  Edith,  of 
course.  Do  you  not  remember  how 
devoted  he  always  was  to  her  ? " 

"I  do  not  — " 

"  May  I  ask  what  you  are  whispering 
about,  Mr.  Boswell  ? "  demanded  Trent, 
breaking  from  Miss  Decker.  "  Is  he 
confiding  to  you  the  astounding  success 
of  his  last  novel,  Mrs.  Pendleton  ?  Or 
was  it  a  history  of  the  United  States  ? 
I  really  forget.'' 

"  Not  the  last,  certainly.  I  leave  it 
to  you  to  make  history  —  an  abridged 
edition.  My  ambition  is  a  more  humble 


one." 


"  Oh,  you  will  both  need  biographers," 
said  Mrs.  Pendleton,  who  was  beginning 
to  enjoy  herself.  "  I  will  give  you  an 
idea.  Join  the  Theosophists.  Arrange 

73 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

for  reincarnation.  Come  back  in  the 
next  generation  and  write  your  own 
biographies.  Then  your  friends  and 
families  cannot  complain  you  have 
not  had  justice  done  you." 

"  Ha !  ha !  "  said  Trent. 

"  You  are  as  cruel  as  ever,"  said  Bos- 
well,  with  a  sigh.  "  Where  is  my  ring  ?  " 
he  whispered. 

"  It  was  so  large  that  I  could  not 
keep  it  on.  I  must  have  a  guard 
made." 

"  Dear  little  fingers 

"You  may  never  have  been  taught 
when  you  were  a  small  boy,  Mr.  Bos- 
well,"  interrupted  Trent,  "  that  it  is 
rude  to  whisper  in  company.  There 
fore,  to  save  your  manners  in  Mrs.  Pen- 
dleton's  eyes,  I  will  do  you  the  kindness 
to  prevent  further  lapse."  And  he 
seated  himself  on  the  other  side  of 
Jessica  and  glared  defiantly  at  Boswell. 

"  Mr.  Severance  and  Mr.  Dedham  !  " 

Severance  entered  hurriedly.  "  I  am 
so  glad  to  hear  —  ah,  Boswell !  Trent !  " 
74 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  How  odd  that  you  should  all  find 
your  way  here  the  very  first  evening 
of  your  arrival ! "  And  Jessica  held 
out  her  hand  with  a  placid  smile.  Miss 
Decker  was  more  nervous,  but  five 
seasons  were  behind  her.  "  Ah  ! "  con 
tinued  Mrs.  Pendleton,  "  and  Mr.  Ded- 
ham,  too !  This  is  a  most  charming 
reunion  !  " 

"  Charming  beyond  expression  !  "  said 
Severance. 

Trent  and  Boswell  being  obliged  to 
rise  when  Miss  Decker  went  forward  to 
meet  the  newcomers,  Severance  took 
the  former's  chair,  Dedham  that  of  the 
future  statesman. 

"  You  are  better  ?  "  whispered  Sever 
ance.  "  I  have  been  anxious." 

"  Oh,  I  have  been  worried  to  death  !  " 
murmured  Teddy  in  her  other  ear. 
"That  wretched  doctor  had  not  only 
moved  but  gone  out  of  town ;  and  when 
I  came  back  at  last  and  found  —  " 

"  Mr.  Severance,"  exclaimed  Trent, 
"you  have  my  chair." 

75 


MRS.  PENDLETON9  S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  Is  this  your  chair  ?  You  have  good 
taste.  A  remarkably  comfortable  chair/' 

"  You  would  oblige  me —  " 

"  By  keeping  it  ?  Certainly.  You 
were  ever  generous,  but  that  I  believe 
is  a  characteristic  of  genius." 

"  Mrs.  Pendleton,"  said  Boswell,  plain 
tively,  "as  Mr.  Dedham  has  taken  my 
chair,  I  will  take  this  stool  at  your 
feet" 

Trent  was  obliged  to  lean  his  elbow 
on  the  mantelpiece,  for  want  of  a  bet 
ter  view  of  Mrs.  Pendleton,  and  Miss 
Decker  sat  on  the  other  side  of  Ded 
ham. 

"  How  are  you,  Teddy  ?  "  she  said. 

"Young  and  happy.  You  must  let 
me  congratulate  you." 

"  For  what  ?  " 

"  I  see  you  wear  Severance's  ring. 
Ah,  Sev,  did  the  ring  suit  your  sister  ? " 

"  To  a  T.     Said  it  was  her  favourite 
stone."     He  stopped  abruptly.     "What 
the   deuce  — "    below  his  breath;    and 
Jessica  whispered  hurriedly :  — 
76 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  Edith  was  looking  at  it  when  Mr. 
Trent  came  in,  and  forgot  to  return 
it." 

"Ah!  Boswell,  I  am  sure  you  are 
sitting  on  Mrs.  Pendleton's  foot.  By 
the  way,  how  is  your  aunt  ? " 

"Dead  — better." 

"  I  wonder  you  could  tear  yourself 
away  so  soon/'  said  Trent,  viciously. 
"You'd  better  be  careful.  She  might 
make  a  new  will." 

"  Don't  worry.  I  spent  the  happiest 
fifteen  minutes  of  my  life  with  her  this 
afternoon.  She  promised  me  all."  He 
turned  to  Severance.  "You  have  been 
breaking  hearts  on  the  beach,  I  sup 
pose."  ' 

"  Which  is  better,  at  all  events,  than 
breaking  one's  head  against  a  stone 
wall." 

"  Politics  brought  you  here,  I  suppose, 
Mr.  Trent,"  interrupted  Miss  Decker. 
"  I  hear  you  made  a  stirring  speech  the 
other  night." 

"  I  did.     It  was  on  the  question  of 

77 


MRS.  PENDLETON' S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

Radicalism  in  the  Press  versus  Civil 
Service  Reform.  Something  must  be 
done  to  revolutionise  this  hotbed  of 
iniquity,  American  politics.  Such 
principles  need  courage,  but  when  the 
hour  comes  the  man  must  not  be 
wanting  —  " 

"  That  was  all  in  the  paper  next 
morning,"  drawled  Boswell.  "  Mrs. 
Pendleton,  did  you  receive  the  copy  of 
my  new  book  I  sent  a  fortnight  ago  ? 
Unlike  many  of  my  others,  I  had  no 
difficulty  in  disposing  of  it.  It  was 
lighter,  brighter,  less  philosophy,  less 
—  brains.  The  critics  understood  it, 
therefore  they  were  kind.  They  even 
said  —  " 

"  Don't  quote  the  critics,  for  Heaven's 
sake,"  said  Severance.  "It  is  enough 
to  have  read  them." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Pendleton,"  exclaimed 
Teddy,  "if  you  could  have  been  at 
the  yacht  race !  Such  excitement, 
such—" 

"To  change  the  subject,"  said  Trent, 
78 


MRS.   PENDLETON1  S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

with  determination  in  his  eye,  "Mrs. 
Pendleton,  did  you  receive  all  the 
marked  papers  I  sent  you  containing 
my  speeches,  especially  the  one  on 
Jesuitism  in  Politics  ?  " 

"Don't  bother  Mrs.  Pendleton  with 
politics ! "  exclaimed  Boswell,  whose 
own  egotism  was  kicking  against  its 
bars.  "  You  did  not  think  my  book 
too  long,  did  you  ?  One  purblind  critic 
said  —  " 

"Good  night,  Mrs.  Pendleton,"  said 
Severance,  rising  abruptly.  "  Good 
evening,"  and  he  bowed  to  Miss 
Decker  and  to  the  men.  Jessica  rose 
suddenly  and  went  with  him  to  the 
door. 

"  I  am  going  to  walk  on  the  cliffs  — 
'Forty  Steps'  —  at  eleven  to-morrow," 
she  said,  as  she  gave  him  her  hand. 
"This  may  be  unconventional,  but  / 
choose  to  do  it." 

He  bowed  over  her  hand.  "  Mrs. 
Pendleton  will  only  have  set  one  more 
fashion,"  he  said.  "  I  shall  be  there." 

79 


MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

As  he  left  the  room  by  one  door,  Jes 
sica  crossed  the  room  and  opened  an 
other. 

"Good  night,"  she  said  to  the  as 
tounded  company,  and  withdrew. 


80 


VI 


VI 


[EVERANCE  sauntered  up  and 
down  the  "  Forty  Steps,"  the 
repose  of  his  bearing  belying 
the  agitation  within. 
" Why  on  earth  doesn't  she  come?" 
he  thought  uneasily.  "  Can  she  be  ill 
again  ?  She  is  ten  minutes  behind  time 
now.  What  did  it  mean  —  all  those  fel 
lows  there  last  night  ?  She  looked  like 
an  amused  spectator  at  a  play,  and  Miss 
Decker  was  nervous,  actually  nervous. 
Damn  it !  Here  they  all  come.  What 
do  they  mean  by  keeping  under  my  heels 
like  this  ? " 

Dedham,  Trent,  and  Boswell  strolled 
up  from  various  directions,  and,  although 
each  had  expectation  in  his  eye,  none 
looked  overjoyed  to  see  the  other  men. 

33 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

There  were  four  cold  nods,  a  dead 
pause,  and  then  Teddy  gave  a  little 
cough. 

"Beautiful  after  —  I  mean  morning." 

"  It  is  indeed,"  said  Severance.  "  I 
wonder  you  are  not  taking  your  salt 
water  constitutional." 

"  I  always  take  a  walk  in  the  morn 
ing  ;  "  and  Teddy  glanced  nervously  over 
his  shoulder. 

Boswell  and  Trent,  each  with  a  little 
missive  burning  his  pocket,  turned  red, 
fidgeted,  glared  at  the  ocean,  and  made 
no  remark.  Severance  darted  a  glance 
at  each  of  the  three  in  succession,  and 
then  looked  at  the  ground  with  a  con 
templative  stare.  At  this  moment  Mrs. 
Pendleton  appeared. 

Three  of  the  men  advanced  to  meet 
her  with  an  awkward  attempt  at  sur 
prise,  but  she  waved  them  back. 

"  I  have  something  to  say  to  you,"  she 
said. 

The  cold  languor  of  her  face  had  given 
place  to  an  expression  of  haughty  tri- 
84 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

umph.  A  gleam  of  conscious  power  lay 
deep  in  her  scornful  eyes.  The  final  act 
in  the  drama  had  come,  and  the  denoue 
ment  should  be  worthy  of  her  talents. 
She  looked  like  a  judge  who  had  smiled 
encouragement  to  a  guilty  defendant 
only  to  confer  the  sentence  of  capital 
punishment  at  last 

"  Gentlemen,"  she  said,  and  even  her 
voice  was  judicatorial,  "  I  have  asked 
you  all  to  meet  me  here  this  morning  " 
—  (three  angry  starts,  but  she  went  on 
unmoved) — "because  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  last  night  that  it  is  quite  time 
this  farce  should  end.  I  am  somewhat 
bored  myself,  and  I  have  no  doubt  you 
are  so,  as  well.  Your  joke  was  a  clever 
one,  worthy  of  the  idle  days  of  autumn. 
When  I  received  your  four  proposals  by 
the  same  mail,  I  appreciated  your  wit  — 
I  will  say  more,  your  genius  —  and  felt 
glad  to  do  anything  I  could  to  contribute 
to  your  amusement,  especially  as  all  the 
world  is  away  and  I  knew  how  dull  you 
must  be.  So  I  accepted  each  of  you, 
85 


MRS.   PENDLETON1  S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

as  you  know,  had  four  charming  inter 
views  and  one  memorable  one  of  a  more 
composite  nature ;  and  now  that  we  have 
all  agreed  that  the  spicy  and  original 
little  drama  has  run  its  length  I  take 
pleasure  in  restoring  your  rings." 

She  took  from  her  handkerchief  a 
beautiful  little  casket  of  blue  onyx,  upon 
which  reposed  the  Pendleton  crest  in 
diamonds,  touched  a  spring,  and  re 
vealed  four  rings  sparkling  about  as 
many  velvet  cushions.  The  four  men 
stood  speechless  ;  not  one  dared  protest 
his  sincerity  and  see  ridicule  in  the  eyes 
of  his  neighbour. 

Mrs.  Pendleton  dropped  her  judicial 
air,  and  taking  the  ruby  between  her 
fingers,  smiled  like  a  teacher  bestowing 
a  prize. 

"  Mr.  Boswell,"  she  said,  "  I  believe 
this  belongs  to  you;"  and  she  handed 
the  ring  to  the  stupefied  author.  He 
put  it  in  his  pocket  with  never  a  word. 

She  raised  the  emerald.  "  Mr.  Trent, 
this  is  yours?  —  or  is  it  the  sapphire?" 
86 


WELL,  WHY  DON'T  YOU  GO?"' 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"The  emerald,"  snorted  Trent. 

She  dropped  it  in  his  nerveless  palm 
with  a  gracious  bend  of  the  head,  and 
turned  to  Teddy. 

"You  gave  me  a  solitaire,  I  remem 
ber,"  she  said  sweetly.  "A  most  appro 
priate  gift,  for  it  is  the  ideal  life." 

Teddy  looked  as  if  about  to  burst  into 
tears,  gave  her  one  beseeching  glance, 
then  took  his  ring  and  strode  feebly  over 
the  cliffs.  Trent  and  Boswell  hesitated 
a  moment,  then  hurried  after. 

Jessica  held  the  casket  to  Severance, 
with  a  little  outward  sweep  of  her  wrist. 
He  took  it  and,  folding  his  arms,  looked 
at  her  steadily.  A  tide  of  angry  colour 
rose  to  her  hair,  then  she  turned  her 
back  upon  him  and  looking  out  over 
the  water  tapped  her  foot  on  the  rocks. 

"  Why  do  you  not  go  ? "  she  asked.  "  I 
hate  you  more  than  any  one  on  earth." 

"  No.     You  love  me." 

"  I  hate  you  !  You  are  a  brute  !  The 
coolest,  the  rudest,  the  most  exasperating 
man  on  —  on  earth." 


MRS.    PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

"  That  is  the  reason  you  love  me.  My 
dear  Mrs.  Pendleton,"  he  continued,  tak 
ing  the  ring  from  the  casket  and  laying 
the  latter  on  a  rock,  "  a  woman  of  brains 
and  headstrong  will  —  but  unegoistic  — 
likes  a  brutal  and  masterful  man.  An 
egoistical  woman,  whether  she  be  fool 
or  brilliant,  likes  a  slave.  The  reason  is 
that  egoism,  not  being  a  feminine  quality 
primarily,  but  borrowed  from  man,  places 
its  fair  possessor  outside  of  her  sex's 
limitations  and  supplies  her  with  the 
satisfying  simulacrum  of  those  stronger 
characteristics  which  she  would  other 
wise  look  for  in  man.  You  are  not  an 
egoist." 

He  took  her  hand  and  removed  her 
glove  in  spite  of  her  resistance. 

"  Don't  struggle.  You  would  only 
look  ridiculous  if  any  one  should  pass. 
Besides,  it  is  useless.  I  am  so  much 
stronger.  I  do  not  know  or  care  what 
really  possessed  you  to  indulge  in  such 
a  freak  as  to  engage  yourself  to  four 
men  at  once,"  he  continued,  slipping  the 
88 


MRS.   PENDLETON'S  FOUR-IN-HAND 

ring  on  her  finger.  "  You  had  your  joke, 
and  I  hope  you  enjoyed  it.  The  de 
nouement  was  highly  dramatic.  As  I 
said,  I  desire  no  explanation,  for  I  am 
never  concerned  with  anything  but  re 
sults.  And  now  —  you  are  going  to 
marry  me." 

"  I  am  not !  "  sobbed  Jessica. 

"  You  are."  He  glanced  about  No 
one  was  in  sight.  He  put  his  arm  about 
her  shoulders,  forcing  her  own  to  her 
sides,  then  bent  back  her  head  and 
kissed  her  on  the  mouth. 

"Checkmate!"  he  said. 


89 


GERTRUDE  ATHERTON  was  born  in 
San  Francisco  and  received  her  early 
education  in  California  and  Kentucky, 
but  her  best  training  was  in  her  grand 
father's  library,  a  collection,  it  is  said, 
of  English  masterpieces  only,  containing 
no  American  fiction  whatever.  Yet  Mrs. 
Atherton  is  as  thorough  an  American 
as  a  niece,  in  the  third  generation,  of 
Benjamin  Franklin  should  be. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  English  critics 
who  first  recognised  her  originality, 
power,  intensity,  vividness,  and  vitality, 
but  from  her  first  book,  "  What  Dreams 
May  Come,"  published  in  1888,  her  writ 
ings  have  revealed  the  unusual  combi 
nation  of  brains  and  feeling.  This  gives 
her  work  both  keen,  clever  strength  and 
brilliancy  of  colour,  developed  through 
years  of  hard  work,  many  of  which  were 
spent  abroad,  and  reaching  their  best 
manifestation  in  her  latest  fiction,  the 
one  quality  in  "  The  Conqueror  "  and  the 
other  in  "  The  Splendid  Idle  Forties." 
Both  of  these  books  go  to  prove  the 
foresight  of  Mr.  Harold  Frederic,  who, 
i 


shortly  before  his  death,  declared  her 
to  be  "  the  only  woman  in  contemporary 
literature  who  knew  how  to  write  a 
novel,"  and  that  her  future  work  would 
be  her  best.  Another  eminent  English 
critic,  Dr.  Robertson  Nicholl,  spoke  for 
some  of  the  best  students  of  modern 
literature  in  saying :  — 

"Gertrude  Atherton  is  the  ablest 
woman  writer  of  fiction  now  living." 

In  her  most  notable  novel,  "The  Con 
queror,"  Gertrude  Atherton  has  chosen 
in  "  the  true  and  romantic  story  of  Alex 
ander  Hamilton  "  a  subject  which  would 
have  attracted  few  woman  writers,  and 
has  handled  those  parts  of  it  with  which 
many  men  have  busied  their  brains  in 
such  a  way  that  The  New  York  Times 
Saturday  Review  remarked  that  it 

"  Holds  more  romance  than  nine- 
tenths  of  the  imaginative  fiction  of  the 
day  and  more  veracity  than  ninety-nine 
hundredths  of  the  history.  She  is  mas 
ter  of  her  material." 

"  Certainly  this  country  has  produced  no 
writer  who  approaches  Mrs.  Atherton," 
says  one  critic,  while  another  adds  that 

2 


to  have  so  "  re-created  a  great  man  as 
Mrs.  Atherton  has  done  in  this  novel  is 
to  have  written  one's  own  title  to  great 
ness.  "  All  alike  regard  it  as  "  a  thing 
apart "  (The  Critic) ;  "  a  remarkable  pro 
duction,  full  of  force,  vigour,  brains,  and 
insight "  (Boston  Herald}  ;  "  an  en  tranc 
ing  book  .  .  .  brillian tly written  "(Glas 
gow  Herald).  "It  is  hardly  too  much  to 
say  that  she  has  invented  a  new  kind  of 
historical  novel  "  is  the  comment  of  the 
Athenczum  (London),  with  the  addition 
that  "the  experiment  is  a  remarkable 


success." 


Equally  strong  in  fascination  and  vigour  is 
"  The  Splendid  Idle  Forties,"  but  as  far 
removed  from  "  The  Conqueror  "  as  were 
the  Eastern  and  Western  seaboards  of 
this  country  in  the  times  of  which  the 
stories  treat,  "  the  long,  drowsy,  shim 
mering  days  before  the  Gringo  came," 
to  the  California  of  which  she  writes. 
"  Pointed,  spirited,  and  Spanish "  are 
these  "  rich  and  impressive  "  stories ; 
"  such  as  could  hardly  have  been  told 
in  any  other  country  since  the  Bagdad 
3 


of  the  '  Thousand  and  One  Nights.' 
The  book  is  full  of  weird  fascination, 
and  will  add  to  Mrs.  Atherton's  de 
servedly  high  reputation,"  says  The 
Athenczum. 

"  In  this  book  even  more  than  in 
her  others  is  shown  that  imaginative 
brilliancy  so  striking  as  to  set  one  won 
dering  what  is  the  secret  of  the  effect. 
.  .  .  For  the  rest,  her  charm  lies  in 
temperament,  magnetic,  restless,  asser 
tive,  vivid." —  Washington  Times. 

In  close  relation  to  "  The  Conqueror  "  stands 
Mrs.  Atherton's  still  more  recent  selec 
tion  of  "  A  Few  of  Hamilton's  Letters," 
chosen  from  the  great  bulk  of  his  state 
papers  and  other  letters  in  such  a  way 
as  to  bring  to  the  average  reader  the 
means  of  estimating  the  personality  of 
this  remarkable  man  from  his  own  words. 
Incidentally  it  is  the  surest  refutation  of 
some  of  the  hasty  criticisms  upon  the 
picture  of  him  in  "  The  Conqueror/' 
where,  as  Mr.  Le  Gallienne  justly  ob 
serves,  "  it  was  reserved  for  Mrs.  Ath- 
erton  to  make  him  really  alive  to  the 
present  generation." 
4 


The  Macmillan  Little  Novels 

BY  FAVOURITE  AUTHORS 


Handsomely  Bound  in  Decorated  Cloth 
i6mo  50  cents  each 


PHILOSOPHY  FOUR 

A  STORY  OF  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY 
By  Owen  Wister 

Author  of  "  The  Virginian,"  etc. 

MAN  OVERBOARD 

By  F.  Marion  Crawford 

Author  of  "  Cecilia,"  "  Marietta,"  etc. 

MR.  KEEGAN'S  ELOPEMENT 

By  Winston  Churchill 

Author  of  "  The  Crisis,"  "  Richard  Carvel,"  ate. 

MRS.  PENDLETON'S  FOUR=IN=HAND 

By  Gertrude  Atherton 

Author  of  "The  Conqueror,"   "The   Splendid 
Idle  Forties,"  etc. 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

66  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


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